Dan Schneider sues 'Quiet on Set' producers for defamation, calls series a 'hit job'
Dan Schneider filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against the creators of the "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" docuseries.
Attorneys for the former television creator, who is featured in the docuseries, which was released in March about what allegedly went on behind the scenes at Nickelodeon in its heyday, has claimed that the filmmakers behind the series "falsely state or imply that Schneider" "sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows."
"'Quiet on Set's' portrayal of Schneider is a hit job," the suit alleges.
According to the suit, the television creator, who is known for his hit shows like "Zoey 101," "iCarly" and "Drake & Josh" is suing "Quiet on Set" filmmakers Emma Schwartz, Mary Robertson, Warner Brothers Discovery, Inc., Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television Inc.
Schneider, who released a statement on Wednesday about the lawsuit, said that he is "apologetic and regretful" for behavior as a producer and "will continue to take accountability for it," but has "no choice but to take legal action against the people behind" the series.
"In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted," he said.
"Good Morning America" has reached out to Warner Brothers Discovery, Inc., Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television Inc., Emma Schwartz and Mary Robertson for comment but did not hear immediately back.
Details of the suit
In the suit, Schneider points out details from the "Quiet on Set" trailer and several episodes, in which he claims that the series "implies that Schneider is a criminal and child sexual abuser."
In his complaint, the former television producer outlines parts of the "Quiet on Set" trailer where he alleges he he was defamed. The suit alleges that the trailer "doubles down on the implication that Schneider is not only a criminal in some way connected to children, but an abuser -- or more specifically, a child sexual abuser." The suit also claims that the trailer draws false conclusions.
Schneider continues to claim in the lawsuit that the series falsely accuses him as a perpetrator of alleged child abuse on the set of his shows, specifically in episodes one, two and five of "Quiet on Set," which he claims accuses him of sexual abuse on some Nickelodeon television shows.
The suit claims that episode 2 of the series implies that Schneider was a "convicted felon and child sexual abuser" likening him to other individuals accused of similar crimes in the series like former dialogue coach Brian Peck, who sexually abused actor Drake Bell when he was a young Nickelodeon star. Peck was arrested in 2003 and charged with 11 counts, including "lewd acts with a child" and sexual abuse of a minor. Bell came forward publicly for the first time in “Quiet on Set” as the John Doe victim in the case against Peck.
The suit claims in episode 5, filmmakers purposefully used Schneider's image to conflate the actions of Schneider with convicted sex offenders.
"The Trailer and 'Quiet on Set's' statements and/or implications are false. Schneider never committed, nor has he been charged or convicted with committing, a criminal act toward a child," the suit states. "Schneider never sexually abused a child, nor has he been charged or convicted with sexually abusing a child. The Trailer and Quiet on Set's statements and implications to the contrary are both false and made with reckless and malicious disregard for the truth."
Schneider's apology
The lawsuit comes more than a month after the docuseries aired accusing Schneider of fostering a toxic work environment while producing some of the most popular Nickelodeon children's shows of the 1990s and early 2000s. The accusation prompted a public apology from Schneider.
In an interview with former "iCarly" actor BooG!e, which was shared on Schneider's YouTube page, DanWarp, on March 19, the former television creator addressed some of the accusations about him and said that the series made him feel "awful and regretful and sorry."
"I wish I could go back," he said. "Especially to those earlier years of my carer, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was okay to be an a------ ever,"
Schneider also recognized that some of the jokes that were made on set may have gone "beyond the pale" and that he wishes he could "go back and fix that."
In his statement on Wednesday about the lawsuit he filed, Schneider said, "I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators."
"I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight," he added.
